German parliament approves carbon pricing, air ticket hike

Germany’s parliament has approved a bill to introduce a price for carbon emissions in the transport and heating sectors as part of a broader package of measures designed to tackle climate change. Lawmakers also voted Friday to back a price hike for airline tickets on domestic and European flights. The 3 parties in govt have pushed through the measures at high speed since agreeing them among themselves 2 months ago. Scientists and economists consider carbon pricing to be an effective way of steering companies and consumers away from heavily polluting sources of energy such as coal, oil and natural gas. To balance the increased costs, the bill includes tax breaks for commuters and people who invest in improving their home insulation. <br/>